Scottish Highland cows have become internet darlings, beloved for their shaggy double coats, bangs, widespread horns, and gentle personalities. One of the oldest registered cattle breeds in the world, these cows originate from the Scottish Highlands and Western Isles (Hebrides) of Scotland, which is why groups of highland cows are referred to as a fold, rather than a herd. These cows play a major role in sustainable farming, as they thrive on rough pasture and eat plants that other cattle avoid, such as shrubs, thistles, and poisonous plants like milkweed. Experience five destinations that offer memorable tours and up close encounters, all featuring Missouri’s cuddly agricultural ambassadors.
The Bins at Haywire Acres: Versailles
When Jacob and Amanda Hoover purchased 160 acres in Versailles over a decade ago, they named it Haywire Acres. The Hoovers continued working on this scenic labor of love, transforming two used 21-foot grain bins into cozy overnight retreats, containing all of the amenities of a hotel room. The Bins at Haywire Acres became available to book on Airbnb in 2024.
Guests can choose to stay in one of two grain big cabins, the Highland Bin, which features a king-sized bed in the loft and a futon couch in the living room, or the Corral Bin, which features an upstairs with a king-sized bed and a downstairs with two bunk beds.
Both feature kitchens, walk-in showers, high-speed internet, and warm touches, like electric fireplaces and porch swings. There are also two full-hookup RV sites and a 32-foot travel trailer on the property with a queen bed and two twin-sized beds for glamping. Each morning guests are provided with Amanda’s homemade cinnamon rolls, baked in her home kitchen.
• The Bins at Haywire Acres
But ask any guest what makes Haywire Acres special, and they’ll probably tell you about the cows. Years ago, the Hoovers won a Highland cow at an auction in support of childhood cancer research. Quickly realizing that their new pet needed compan- ions, they decided to purchase a small fold. Visitors from around the world—including Scotland— have come to meet these surprisingly affectionate animals. “People are always amazed by how cuddly and nuzzley they are,” Amanda says with a smile.
With Amanda and Jacob as guides, guests can give the cows feed and have the opportunity to pet and photograph them. Visitors can stroke the Highland cow’s coat, feel their gentle nuzzle, and watch their eyes peer through their protective fringe. It’s these moments that transform a simple farm stay into something unforgettable. Goats, chickens, peacocks, and a rooster complete the farm’s menagerie, and are also available for guests to see.
Beyond the barnyard, guests can enjoy other relaxing activities like hayrides pulled by the Hoover’s antique tractor, roasting marshmallows at the firepit, or watching goldfish in the pond.
Haywire Acres is located centrally in the state, making it a convenient weekend getaway for many travelers. Adventurers can hike trails, drive off-road vehicles, or explore some of Missouri’s signature caves, including Jacob’s Cave, Bridal Cave, or Stark Caverns, all less than an hour away. The Lake of the Ozarks is a 30 minute drive from the farm.
• 21369 Leatherman Road, Versailles • BinsAtHaywireAcres.com
Piles Ranch: Centertown
Typically, Elsa wins visitors over the moment they meet her. This stunning miniature HighPark cow (a crossbreed cow with Highland and British White Park genetics) at Piles Ranch captivates guests with her long eyelashes, soft coat, and sweet personality. Her characteristic gentle expression is often described as “smiling.” Thanks to the cows’ lack of top teeth, hand-feeding is extra safe, and many guests feel more than willing to feed the cute cows. As guests feed Elsa, they often notice her long, curly tongue, reminiscent of a giraffe’s.
Elsa shares the ranch with Aspen, Willow, and Bruno—traditional, standard-sized ginger and yellow Highlands, each with distinctive personalities and fringe. But the farm offers more than cows. Owners Nikki and Jamie Piles, along with their three boys, have assembled a cast of animals that reads like a children’s storybook: Kunekune pigs, Nigerian dwarf goats, miniature donkeys, Babydoll sheep, emus, ponies, chickens, turkeys, and rabbits.
In 2023, Nikki—a Highland cow enthusiast—started offering hands-on farm visits. What began with goat encounters quickly expanded to include visiting the Highlands. Each visitor’s experience is tailored to their individual interests. Visitors can bottle feed, comb, pet, and cuddle with the animals, all while capturing Instagram-worthy photos.
Visits can extend beyond the barnyard with offerings like painting workshops, where guests decorate ceramic Highland cow planters, yoga sessions with goats, toddler times with stories and crafts, seasonal photo opportunities, and pony rides. Birthday parties can also be booked at the ranch.
Families quickly become regulars, watching the animals grow and savoring the calm, peaceful country atmosphere—a place where they can slow down and fully soak in the experience. That sense of connection and simplicity is exactly the magic Nikki hopes to create for every guest.
Nikki and Jamie also take their animals to the Moniteau County Fair in California, Missouri; to Jefferson City Parks, Recreation, and Forestry events; and to other area gatherings. While many guests come for the Highland cows, they inevitably fall in love with Indie the donkey, the Nigerian dwarf goats, and the bunnies as well.
• 28518 Leonard Road, Centertown • PilesRanch.com
The Highland House: Breckenridge
• Webb Cattle Company
Just 20 miles from Hamilton sits the 400-acre Webb Cattle Company farm in Ludlow. For Gara and Brad Webb, the journey to raising Highland cattle began with a compromise. After 25 years of raising commercial cows while working other full-time jobs, Gara was ready to get out of raising cattle altogether. But Brad wasn’t. “Through research, I discovered Highlands and thought this was the perfect compromise,” Gara recalls. Since 2018, they’ve been raising miniature, micro-mini, and midsize Highland cows, ranging from 35 to 46 inches tall, on their property.
“I love the breed in general. They are so docile. They love human interaction. They love to be petted, scratched,” Gara explains. “They all have a different personality. They are beautiful. And most of all, they are so peaceful.” One special resident is Poppet, a blind cow. Poppet loves walking in parades, accompanied and led by Gara, and visiting nursing homes, making her a true fan favorite and capturing hearts wherever she goes.
Gara and Brad also own The Highland House, an Airbnb rental in Breckenridge. Up to eight guests can enjoy its three bedrooms. There is also a full kitchen, inground pool, and firepit, which makes the rental perfect for families and weekend getaways. Highland-themed decor runs throughout the house, immersing visitors in the farm experience.
Visitors can watch heifer cows graze on the three acres out front or request a free farm tour, where they can pet Highland cows through a fence. Many guests come specifically to learn more about the breed before buying their own Highland cow.
What began as a compromise has grown into what the owners describe as a very successful miniature Highland breeding operation. Gara and Brad raise about 120 calves annually, and their advanced breeding program includes extensive embryo transfer, artificial insemination, and educational classes for future farmers. In addition to serving as an agritourism destination, Gara and Brad support hobby farmers and homesteaders across the country.
The couple has hired relatives and friends who help manage the growing operation, which now extends beyond raising Highlands to include raising Valais Black-nose sheep, running the WCC Maine Coon Cattery, the family’s registered breeding business for Maine Coon cats, and offering the farm as a wedding venue. Special events include Christmas experiences with Santa and personalized small group Highland cattle education classes.
• 2077 Liv 422, Ludlow • WebbCattleCompany.com
Selah Hills Ranch: Agency
In the rolling hills of Agency in northwest Missouri, Brad and Lorie Brunner have created something intentional at Selah Hills Ranch: a tech-free sanctuary where guests are encouraged to slow down and enjoy the great outdoors. Their ranch was named after the Biblical term “Selah,” often thought to mean “pause and reflect.” The 30-acre property, including a house with rentable rooms, was completed in October 2024. The Brunners live in the house and rent out the other rooms. Guests can rent two of the three bedrooms in the home, excluding the Brunners’ room. The retreat was born of a simple yet powerful mission, according to Brad: helping guests “stop and think about what is important.”
Inspired by the book Resetting Your Child’s Brain by Victoria Dunckley, the owners originally conceived the ranch as a digital detox destination for children. Today, Brad and Lorie welcome families, church groups, and anyone seeking refuge from screens and the relentless pace of modern life. “The whole goal is to give a retreat away from tech,” Lorie explains. While a communal TV is available, an emphasis is placed on guests building relationships and rediscovering the simple pleasures of life.
The Highland cattle are central to the Selah Hills experience. Brad and Lorie maintain a herd of nine cows with striking colors, including white, black, brindle (black and red), dun (a grey-brown), and cinnamon variations. The couple is working toward breeding miniature Highlands, which, along with the other Highland cows, will provide guests with memorable photo opportunities and the chance to feed them alfalfa cubes. Guests can also enjoy petting the two Shetland sheepdogs on the ranch, Reagan and Roxie.
The three ponds on-site offer the ultimate outdoor experience. In the summer, guests are invited to enjoy the zero-entry swim pond or spend an afternoon fishing in the ponds, which are stocked with bass, bluegill, and crappie. Complimentary fishing rods and kayaks are available, making it easy to spend lazy afternoons on the water watching wildlife.
Accommodations are affordable with no minimum stay required. Overnight options include tent camping, RV spots on the property, and indoor lodging in the farmhouse, including individual suites, each with a king-sized bed. Each guest receives one of Lorie’s signature homemade cookies upon arrival, and complimentary wine is available for adults. The property also features walking trails, sitting areas, picnic spots, and a playhouse for children. Evening campfires usually become the evening’s entertainment—no screens required, just conversation, stargazing, and the sounds of the countryside. Selah Hills also offers hands-on classes and workshops like quilting and cooking.
Selah Hills Ranch presents guests with a rare commodity: unhurried time. Whether visitors feed the Highland cows, cast a line into the pond, or sit and relax under the trees with a homemade cookie, the message is clear—life’s most important moments happen when we put down our phones and look up.
• 6777 Monroe Road SE, Agency • SelahHillsRanch.com
• Mesta Meadows
Mesta Meadows: Glenallen
At Mesta Meadows, a working ranch in the heart of the Ozark Highlands, Ed and Terri Crowley have built something rare: a place where visitors don’t just observe farm life—they live it. The ranch is home to the Ozark Highland Cattle Company’s registered Highland breeding stock, alongside Angus cattle that are not given antibiotics or hormones. Mesta Meadows boasts lean, flavorful beef.
“The Highland cattle are extremely photogenic,” Ed notes. These beauties are the stars of farm tours, photo sessions, and overnight camping experiences. Ed and Terri lead ranch tours offered on a donation basis to help cover the daily cost of feeding the animals. Visitors can enjoy feeding and petting the Highland cows. Merino sheep, goats, Great Pyrenees, donkeys, and chickens round out the farm.
Ed and Terri offer three tour experiences: the Experience the Farm Tour for families who want interactions with animals, the Learn the Business Tour for aspiring farmers, and the Live the Life Tour for those considering the ranching lifestyle. The ranch also hosts birthday parties, corporate events, and photo shoots. For serious students of sustainable agriculture, the four-day Shepherd Boot Camp covers a range of topics, including breed selection, parasite management, fencing, lambing, and farm-to-consumer marketing.
For those who want to extend their stay, primitive and RV camping on the back 20 acres is available and can be booked through Hipcamp or Harvest Hosts. Overnight guests can add a campfire dinner, featuring fresh lamb chops raised right on the ranch—a true farm-to-table experience.
Beyond raising cattle, the ranch runs a thriving fiber operation using wool from Merino dual-purpose sheep and sells the meat from their animals, along with dairy by-products. The farm’s wares are available at The Mason Jar Store on-site and on their website.
The newest addition to the ranch is the Atelait Crèmery, which opened in March 2026, where they make artisan sheep’s-milk ice cream. Each spring, the ranch hosts the Ozark Highlands Sheep & Fiber Festival, a free two-day celebration drawing hundreds of attendees for the live sheep shearing demonstrations, hands-on workshops, local artisan vendors, music, and food—and yes, there are plenty of Highlands to take photos with.
Mesta Meadows is an ideal base camp for exploring southeast Missouri’s natural wonders. The Castor River Shut-Ins in Fredericktown, with its famous pink granite, offers spectacular hiking, smallmouth bass fishing, and summer swimming. The historic Bollinger Mill is less than 30 minutes away, and the Amidon Memorial Conservation Area that surrounds the farm offers additional trails and wildlife viewing opportunities.
• 12005 Route 34, Glenallen • MestaMeadows.com
This article was originally published in the May 2026 issue of Missouri Life.
